Pineapple Juice for Cough – an Alternative or Addition to Medicines?

If you’ve been looking for natural alternatives to conventional cough medicines, there’s a good chance that you’ve come across pineapple juice. Over the last years, a fair number of studies have found the benefits of pineapple juice for cough. They have concluded that it offers help and relief to patients suffering from cough and congestion. Some even claim that pineapple juice is 5 times more powerful than cough syrup. How far this is true? Let’s take a look.

Why Pineapples are Popular in Ayurveda

Because it is incredibly nutritious! Pineapples contain….

Vitamins: They are a rich source of vitamin C. And they also provide you with vitamins B6, A, K, B1, B2, B3, B5, and B9.

Minerals: They have potassium, calcium, iron, zinc, phosphorous, magnesium, copper, and high amounts of manganese.

Bromelain: Pineapples carry substantial amounts of this important enzyme, which we will talk about in this article.

Pineapple Juice for Cough – an Alternative or Addition to Medicines?

1. Clearing off Congestion

One of the main benefits of pineapple juice that studies have found was its ability to dissolve mucus. Pineapples contain bromelain, which functions as a natural decongestant.

So, it’s safe to say that you can use a fresh glass of pineapple juice for colds. In addition to helping your body easily get rid of mucus congestion, pineapples can also soothe your throat. It will take care of the blocked nose and irritated throat, providing you with just the right relief.

Build up of mucus in the body causes uncomfortable coughing in patients of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Certain studies have found that in addition to helping clear off mucus, pineapple juice also boosts mucolysis, which helps in these situations. This soothes the severe coughing.

2. Fighting Inflammation

People suffering from allergic airways diseases can also consider a pineapple cough remedy. They often find themselves coughing when their bodies try to remove mucus build up. We earlier mentioned that pineapples contain bromelain. Aside from a decongestant, bromelain is also anti-inflammatory. This means that when patients of allergic conditions experience inflammation, they can include pineapple juice in their treatment.

However, we recommend seeking a thumbs up from your doctor before using pineapple for cough. This is to ensure that the pineapple juice doesn’t cause any complications when mixed with your current medication.

3. Improving Asthma Issues

Studies have also found that pineapple can prove beneficial for patients of allergic asthma when they add it to their treatment. In patients of bronchial asthma, for example, a mixture of pineapple juice with water was found to bring about positive improvements. We mentioned that pineapple juice contains a potent anti-inflammatory substance called bromelain. Inflammation can often create problems for asthma patients, and they can therefore count pineapple juice as one of their remedies.

Now, let’s get to the recipe!

Recipe for Pineapple Cough Syrup

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh pineapple juice

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon raw honey

½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper

1 ½ tablespoon of raw ginger

Simply mix them all in your blender and drink ¼ cup twice or thrice a day. Easy peasy!

In Conclusion…

Based on studies, pineapple juice can certainly offer help and relief to patients of some conditions. As of now, we can’t go as far as saying that it can function as a substitute in conditions. But pineapple juice for cough, in normal circumstances like the common cold and hay fever, can be used as a natural remedy.

A final word of caution: Pineapples are anthelmintic and purgative in nature. They can also make your throat excessively itchy. Plus, if you are pregnant, be sure to consult your doctor before you consume it since it can cause an abortion. Ayurveda says that you should have everything in balanced quantities!